Coding and AI Classes in Massachusetts

Course picks for Massachusetts

Four starting points mapped to the DLCS strands

Each pick lines up with a strand of the 2016 framework or a MassCore course; the free first lesson confirms the level.

Grades 2 to 6

Problem Solving and Computational Thinking for Kids

The Computational Thinking strand made concrete: decomposition, patterns and step-by-step plans before any syntax.

See the syllabus

Grades 7 to 12

Python for Teens

Typed Python from zero, then the Cambridge distance project and other work on Massachusetts open data.

See the syllabus

Grades 10 to 12

AP Computer Science Principles

AP Computer Science Principles, course code 10019 on the MassCore substitute list, with the Create task and exam practice.

See the syllabus

Grades 9 to 12

Data Science for Teens

Cleaning, joining and charting real public datasets, then a first model, with every number explained.

See the syllabus

Browse the course atlas for more than one hundred options and use the coding roadmap to check prerequisites.

The four we are known for

Python, AI, vibe coding and agentic coding

These run underneath everything above. Every one is live and online, placed by ability rather than by age, and the first class is free.

Vibe codingAges 13 to 17

Vibe Coding for Teens

Python, web and AI projects where the learner still owns the thinking.

See the syllabus

Python and AICollege and adult

Python Automation Course

Automate the work you already do, then let AI carry part of it.

See the syllabus

AI and MLAges 14 to 18

AI and Machine Learning for Teens

Train a model, read what it learned, and be able to say why it is wrong.

See the syllabus

Agentic codingProfessionals

Codex & Claude Code

Run AI coding agents on real work without losing control of the codebase.

See the syllabus

What a diploma requires

Massachusetts graduation rules, and where computer science fits

The state sets a floor, the Competency Determination, and each district adds its own requirements. Read from DESE on 18 October 2026.

Massachusetts diploma requirements as DESE describes them
Rule	What DESE says
The two parts	Meet the Competency Determination (CD) standard and meet local graduation requirements
Legal basis	The Massachusetts Education Reform Law of 1993, G.L. c. 69, section 1D, established the CD requirement
Recent change	Voters approved a ballot question amending the CD in November 2024; the Board amended the CD regulations, 603 CMR 30.00, in May 2025
Class of 2027 and beyond	Full credit in two years of English language arts, Algebra I and Geometry (or Integrated Math I and II), one year of Biology, Physics, Chemistry or Technology/Engineering, and one year of U.S. history
Computer science	Not on the state coursework list; a district may add it locally

MassCore, the recommended path

The Board adopted MassCore in 2007 and amended it in 2018. It asks for four units of English, four of maths, three of lab science, three of history, two of one world language, one of the arts and five more core courses.

The substitution rule

DESE says a computer science course with rigorous mathematical or scientific content, aligned to the 2016 framework, can stand in for either a maths course or a laboratory science course within MassCore.

Four approved course codes

The DLCS pages list 10011 Computer Science Principles, 10012 Exploring Computer Science, 10019 AP Computer Science Principles and 10090 Computational Thinking and Problem Solving.

So the honest summary for a Massachusetts family is this: a student can graduate without computer science, but a student who takes an approved course can count it toward MassCore without giving up anything else. Whether a particular high school offers one of the four listed courses, and how the district records it, is a question for the school counselor; we do not issue school credit, and our classes sit alongside the school program rather than inside it.

The 2016 DLCS framework

Four strands, four grade spans: the Massachusetts DLCS standards

The framework went out with a commissioner’s letter dated October 2016. It folded the 2008 Technological Literacy standards into Digital Literacy and added Computer Science alongside them.

The four DLCS strands, and the place each takes in our teaching (the right-hand column is ours)
Strand	What the strand covers	How our classes meet it
Computing and Society	Safety, ethics, law and the social impact of technology	Every project ends with a short discussion of who the program serves and what data it touches
Digital Tools and Collaboration	Choosing and using tools, research, and working with others online	Shared code, version control with Git for teens, and peer review in class
Computing Systems	Devices, hardware, software, networks and troubleshooting	Students install, run and debug on their own machine, not only in a browser sandbox
Computational Thinking	Abstraction, algorithms, data, modeling and programming	The core of each course, from block puzzles at age eight to Java at sixteen

K-2 and 3-5

DESE publishes quick reference guides by span. The early spans lean on digital citizenship and simple algorithms, and DESE adds suggested standards for each elementary grade.

6-8

Middle school is where DESE expects students to move into real programming and data. A separate suggested-standards document maps the span onto grades 6, 7 and 8.

9-12

High school standards are written as one span. DESE’s example course sequence runs from Exploring Computer Science through Computer Science Principles to more advanced work.

Who teaches it in school

Massachusetts licenses DLCS teachers for grades 5 to 12 through the MTEL test, and DESE’s computer science page announces that a DLCS PreK-6 License is now available. A 2025 Massachusetts Curriculum Guide, reviewed for DESE by STEM Learning Design, sorts curricula into core and supplemental options for each grade span.

The published figures

How many Massachusetts high schools teach computer science, and who takes it

Three sources, three slightly different counts. Each is printed with its owner and year, because the definitions differ.

Massachusetts high schools offering computer science by school year, Code.org (2025) raw data
School year	Share offering CS
2018 to 2019	75%
2019 to 2020	82%
2020 to 2021	78%
2021 to 2022	83%
2022 to 2023	No value published
2023 to 2024	81.25%, which is 325 of 400 high schools
2024 to 2025	No value published

Participation, DESE’s own figure and AP schools
Measure	Massachusetts	Published by
High school students enrolled in CS	23,127 of 292,428, or 7.91%	Code.org (2025), most recent participation tab
Public high schools offering CS	82%	DESE, DLCS Implementation Resources
Public high school students in a foundational CS course	5.9%	DESE, DLCS Implementation Resources
Schools with AP exams, 2023	464	College Board, School Report of AP Exams by State
Schools with AP exams, 2024	463	College Board, School Report of AP Exams by State

Why do 7.91% and 5.9% both appear? They measure different things. DESE counts students in a foundational computer science course; the Code.org participation tab counts high school students enrolled in computer science against a national enrollment total from NCES. Neither is wrong, and we do not average them or pick a favourite. What both agree on is the shape of the problem: four in five high schools have a course on offer, and well under one student in ten is sitting in it.

Citing these numbers

Access and participation values come from Code.org (2025). 2025 State of AI + CS Education, read from its published data sheet; we quote the Massachusetts rows and do not republish the dataset. The 2023 to 2024 access figure is the latest Massachusetts year in that sheet.

Signature project

Which T station is closest to each Cambridge library? Nearest neighbour in Python

Two public datasets, one formula. Students load Cambridge’s library points and the MassGIS rapid transit stops, then find the nearest station to every branch.

Nearest MBTA rapid transit stop to each Cambridge public library, straight-line distance (our calculation, data downloaded 17 October 2026)
Library	Nearest stop (line)	Our distance
Central Square Branch Library	Central (Red)	0.17 km, about 0.11 mi
Cambridge Public Library	Harvard (Red)	0.66 km, about 0.41 mi
O’Neill Branch Library	Davis (Red)	0.69 km, about 0.43 mi
O’Connell Branch Library	Lechmere (Green)	0.70 km, about 0.43 mi
Valente Branch Library	Union Square (Green)	0.71 km, about 0.44 mi
Boudreau Branch Library	Porter (Red)	1.24 km, about 0.77 mi
Collins Branch Library	Alewife (Red)	2.17 km, about 1.35 mi

1. Two layers

The library layer holds 7 points with a site name and address. The stops layer holds 170 records across Green, Silver, Red, Orange and Blue, with 157 distinct station names because a few stations appear once per line.

2. The haversine formula

Latitude and longitude are angles on a sphere, so students cannot subtract them like grid coordinates. They write a haversine function, test it on two known points, then loop over every library and keep the minimum.

3. Read it critically

Collins Branch sits more than 2 km from its nearest stop, and two of the seven answers are Green Line stations rather than Red. A straight line is also not a walking route: the river, rail yards and one-way streets all lengthen the real trip.

A line count worth checking

Grouping the 170 stop records by LINE gives Green 66, Silver 45, Red 27, Orange 16 and Blue 10, plus six records that carry two lines, such as GREEN/ORANGE. A student who sums the single-line counts and gets 164 has found the shared records; deciding how to count them is the real exercise.

Our numbers, their data

The distances and counts above are ours, computed from one download on 17 October 2026. The City of Cambridge publishes its library layer under the Open Data Commons Public Domain Dedication and License v1.0; MassGIS describes its MBTA service as a public resource that anyone may use, and accepts no liability for errors. Neither agency checked our results, and the stop list can change.

Class times

Eastern Time in every corner of the Commonwealth

From the Berkshires to the Cape, Massachusetts keeps one zone, America/New_York in the IANA database. Our teachers work from India, so the gap matters.

The offset

India runs 9 hours 30 minutes ahead of Massachusetts in summer and 10 hours 30 minutes ahead in winter, since India keeps a single fixed offset all year.

Two dates to note

Clocks in Boston fall back on November 1, 2026 and spring forward on March 14, 2027. A family whose class sits at 5 pm Eastern keeps 5 pm; we move on our side.

After school, not during

Sessions are arranged outside the school day, in late afternoon, evening or weekend slots that you pick, and every confirmation is written in Eastern Time.

Learning ladder

From a first algorithm to AP Computer Science A

Grade bands are rough guides; a student’s first lesson sets the real starting rung.

Grades K to 5

Patterns and blocks

Sequencing, loops and events in Scratch, plus plain-language AI literacy for curious younger students.

Scratch Coding for Kids AI Literacy for Kids (Ages 8 to 14)

Grades 6 to 8

Typed code arrives

Python with turtle graphics and small games, or a first website, matching the 6-8 DLCS span.

Python and AI for Kids Web Development for Kids

Grades 9 to 10

Real projects, real tools

Java or Python at depth, Git for collaboration, and data work on public Massachusetts layers.

Java for Teens Git & GitHub Course for Teens

Grades 11 to 12

AP and machine learning

AP Computer Science A in Java, and models trained and tested on data the student understands.

AP Computer Science A AI and Machine Learning for Teens

Coding and AI

Why learn the haversine formula when an AI tool can find the nearest station?

Because the tool can be confidently wrong, and only someone who understands the method can tell.

Ask a chatbot for the closest T stop to a Cambridge branch library and it may answer in a second. It may also measure from the wrong address, ignore a station on another line, or treat degrees of longitude as if they were miles. A student who has written the distance function, and checked it against a known pair of points, can spot each of those errors.

This is what the Computing and Society and Computational Thinking strands ask for together: understand the algorithm, then judge the tool that runs it. Students who can do both use AI assistants to move faster on the parts they already understand, and slow down on the parts they do not.

Massachusetts left computer science as a choice; the students who choose it well are the ones who can question an answer as easily as they can produce one. The longer argument is in is coding still worth learning in 2026.

Delivery

From Pittsfield to Provincetown, the same live classroom

Massachusetts students spread from the Berkshire hills to the outer Cape; an online class reaches all of them without a commute.

Live, never recorded

Each session is taught in real time by a teacher who sees the student’s screen and code, so a stuck loop gets fixed in the moment, not in a forum thread.

MassCore-aware planning

Teachers know the four approved course codes and can pace a high schooler alongside a school CS Principles or Exploring Computer Science class. School assignments stay the student’s own work.

Batches by stage

Groups of fifteen to twenty students at a similar level, drawn from Massachusetts and other US states, so a ninth grader is not placed with beginners or experts by default.

One to one when it suits

A private teacher for students aiming at AP Computer Science A, a competition, or a project that does not fit a group syllabus.

Your schedule

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays.

A free first class

One complete lesson on a real task, then a written suggestion of level, course and time. Nothing to pay and no card requested at that stage.

Taught from India, online only

Modern Age Coders has no office or classroom in Massachusetts and does not claim one. Students join from home on a laptop or desktop with a microphone, speakers or headphones and a steady internet connection.

Fees

Fees for Massachusetts families

Three lines, all shown before you commit.

First classUSD 0

One full live lesson at no cost, ending with a recommended level, course and time slot.

Group tuitionUSD 100

A monthly fee for classes in a level-matched batch of fifteen to twenty students.

Private tuitionUSD 150

A monthly fee for the same number of classes taught one to one.

Every US family is billed the same rate in US dollars, whether the student lives in Worcester or on Nantucket. Nothing is charged until after the free lesson, once you have agreed the course and the schedule; the pricing page covers breaks and missed sessions.

Request placement Check availability

Reviews

Reviews from parents and students on Google

Rated 4.9 across 547 Google reviews. These are real reviews, reproduced as written.

★★★★★

"The one step solution for my son. Modern Age Coders make learning coding so simple that kids love it. The teachers explain complex concepts clearly with practical exercises and interactive content."

Ria Mukherjee

Parent

★★★★★

"Modern Age Coders has been a game-changer for me. I struggled to grasp IT concepts and coding before joining, but their classes transformed everything. I can now confidently write complex programs with ease."

Samriddha Mondal

Student

★★★★★

"One of the most wonderful education centres out there. Education is not limited to school syllabus but focuses on skill development."

Vansh Agarwal

Student

★★★★★

"My child Dhairya is really enjoying the Modern Age Coders classes. This is his first online class and he eagerly looks forward to it. I can already see his improvement, and the teachers are very cooperative."

Sonam Oswal

Parent of Dhairya

★★★★★

"Modern Age Coders have wonderful teachers who teach in a clear, easy and practical way. The teacher boosts students' confidence and inspires them to learn without hesitation."

Sonu Goyal

Parent

★★★★★

"I highly recommend this computer coding class! The teachers are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about coding."

Ritu Kedia

Parent

Free placement class

Book a free lesson for a Massachusetts student

Tell us the grade and the goal. A fourth grader might start with a block puzzle, a ninth grader with a first Python function, a junior with the Cambridge library distance project.

FAQ

Massachusetts coding and AI questions

Answers drawn from DESE, College Board and Code.org pages, read in October 2026.

Does Massachusetts require computer science to graduate?

No statewide course. DESE says a diploma requires the Competency Determination plus local graduation requirements, and the class of 2027 coursework list covers English, maths, science and U.S. history only. A district can add its own rules.

Can a computer science course count toward MassCore?

Yes. DESE says a computer science course with rigorous mathematical or scientific concepts, aligned to the 2016 DLCS framework, can substitute for either a mathematics course or a laboratory science course in MassCore.

Which courses are on the MassCore substitute list?

DESE lists 10011 Computer Science Principles, 10012 Exploring Computer Science, 10019 AP Computer Science Principles and 10090 Computational Thinking and Problem Solving.

What are the Massachusetts DLCS standards?

The Digital Literacy and Computer Science framework of 2016, organised in four strands (Computing and Society, Digital Tools and Collaboration, Computing Systems, Computational Thinking) across the spans K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12.

How many Massachusetts high schools offer computer science?

DESE puts it at 82% of public high schools. The Code.org 2025 data shows 325 of 400 high schools, or 81.25%, for 2023 to 2024, the latest Massachusetts year in that sheet.

How many students actually take it?

DESE reports 5.9% of public high school students in a foundational course. Code.org counts 23,127 of 292,428 high school students, or 7.91%, using a different definition and denominator.

Do your classes give Massachusetts school credit?

No. Credit and MassCore substitutions are decided by the school district. Our classes add depth and project work alongside a school course, and anything a school grades stays the student's own work.

What time are classes for Massachusetts students?

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience. Times are quoted in Eastern Time, which in the IANA database is America/New_York.

When do clocks change for Massachusetts this school year?

US clocks fall back on November 1, 2026 and spring forward on March 14, 2027. India does not change, so the gap moves from 9 hours 30 minutes to 10 hours 30 minutes and back.

Is there a Modern Age Coders classroom in Boston?

No. We have no premises anywhere in Massachusetts; every class is live online, taught from India, and a student joins from home with a computer and a reliable connection.

Explore the United States

Four starting points mapped to the DLCS strands

Problem Solving and Computational Thinking for Kids

Python for Teens

AP Computer Science Principles

Data Science for Teens

Python, AI, vibe coding and agentic coding

Vibe Coding for Teens

Python Automation Course

AI and Machine Learning for Teens

Codex & Claude Code

Massachusetts graduation rules, and where computer science fits

MassCore, the recommended path

The substitution rule

Four approved course codes

Four strands, four grade spans: the Massachusetts DLCS standards

K-2 and 3-5

6-8

9-12

Who teaches it in school

How many Massachusetts high schools teach computer science, and who takes it

Citing these numbers

Which T station is closest to each Cambridge library? Nearest neighbour in Python

1. Two layers

2. The haversine formula

3. Read it critically

Our numbers, their data

Eastern Time in every corner of the Commonwealth

The offset

Two dates to note

After school, not during

From a first algorithm to AP Computer Science A

Patterns and blocks

Typed code arrives

Real projects, real tools

AP and machine learning

Why learn the haversine formula when an AI tool can find the nearest station?

From Pittsfield to Provincetown, the same live classroom

Live, never recorded

MassCore-aware planning

Batches by stage

One to one when it suits

Your schedule

A free first class

Fees for Massachusetts families

Reviews from parents and students on Google

Book a free lesson for a Massachusetts student

Massachusetts coding and AI questions

Does Massachusetts require computer science to graduate?

Can a computer science course count toward MassCore?

Which courses are on the MassCore substitute list?

What are the Massachusetts DLCS standards?

How many Massachusetts high schools offer computer science?

How many students actually take it?

Do your classes give Massachusetts school credit?

What time are classes for Massachusetts students?

When do clocks change for Massachusetts this school year?

Is there a Modern Age Coders classroom in Boston?

Further reading for Massachusetts students

Keep exploring Modern Age Coders

Coding classes in nearby places

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Free resources

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